About Us

About us

Play Australia is the peak national advocacy organisation for PLAY.

We support outdoor play by way of inspiration, advice, access to information and professional services.

As the Australian branch of the International Play Association (IPA) we protect the human rights of all children to play, as recognised within Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"You can get smarter from any games you play"

Nathan - 9

Our Vision For Play

A connected and healthy Australia where PLAY is a part of everyone’s daily life.

Our Play Mission

To promote the value of PLAY and support all Australians to PLAY every day.


Our Values

Our people at Play Australia are proud to live our values every day, in whatever we do.

Be Connected for Change

We are a small organisation with a big picture vision and believe that the fastest and most impactful way to create big change is to work with others who care about the same things we do.

Be kind to each other

We are committed to achieving big impact, however not at the expense of our people, partners and communities. We believe the world would be a much better place to live in, if we all looked out for one another a bit more.

Be inclusive of all

We recognise that there are many people who live in Australia, who through no fault of their own, struggle to play every day, and it’s important we all share a commitment to taking the extra steps to help them play.

Be adaptable and agile always

We are always seeking to improve the way we operate our organisation and how we deliver our priorities for change, which means being curious and questioning accepted practices to actively find better ways of working.

Be playful everyday

Lastly, we can’t forget that we’re an organisation focused on play, so it’s important we enjoy the ride and have fun along the way!


What we do



Play Australia has Members, Branches, a National Board and a National Office, and we all care about PLAY. For information on how we share roles and responsibilities please READ HERE.


International Play Association

As the Australian branch of the International Play Association (IPA) we are strongly committed to supporting the work of IPA and contributing to global sharing and strategy.

We are particularly happy to have an Australian (and member of our Board) in Robyn Monro Miller as the current President of the IPA.

Become an IPA Member and support the right of ALL children to play. Visit their website for more information and download the IPA Declaration.



Our play charter



"Every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts”

- Article 31, United Nations Convention on the rights of the Child (UNRC)


Download the Charter here


Our Governance

Play Australia (IPA Australia) is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), which oversees the national regulatory framework for the not-for-profit sector, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 (the ACNC Act 2012).

Play Australia (IPA Australia) is an incorporated not for profit organisation and is under the provisions of the Associations Incorporations Act 1981 Victoria.

Play Australia is a Public Benevolent Institution endorsed to access the following tax concessions:

GST Concession, FBT Concession and Income Tax exemption.

Your donations to support Play Australia’s activities are tax deductible.

Play Australia (IPA Australia) is endorsed as a Deductable Gift Recipient from 1 July 2000. It is covered by Item 1 of the table in section 30-15 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.

The responsibility for compliance with the regulations contained in the Corporations Act, the ACNC Act, as well as the objects of the organisation sits with the Independent Board of Directors.

The purposes of the association are:

(1) to promote the value of play for children, young people and the wider community;

(2) to inspire active healthy outdoor play opportunities that are accessible to all;

(3) to be the peak body advocating for and supporting the value of play locally and nationally;

(4) to advance the implementation of Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; and

(5) to be the Australian Secretariat of the International Play Association (IPA).